Just to the Left of the Moon: Flora

Since my little tumble I've not been back on my bike, so I'm hoping that the combination of body balance, Pilates and the odd bit of swimming will have helped.

It's always an early start to the day on cycling adventures, but thankfully Vietnamese breakfasts make getting up early worth. With all the tropical fruit on offer it's easy to get my 5-a-day!

And I'm quite fond of stir fried vegetables and chicken noodles at this time of the day too.

Cycling for one is quite a luxury because I get a cycling guide and driver all to myself. Let me introduce the team

Tan my guide and Tuhn the driver. And down below the bikes all fitted out and ready to go.

Well we were until I spotted dragons - of the leafy kind - they were huge, the place was filled with them all ready for delivery.

Cycling the Mekong Delta is a little different. There's no roads to speak of, so we're using the many lanes and by-ways that cross the region and of course we had to

use the many bridges that connect the land. This one is fairly substantial compared to some of the rickety bamboo affairs I spotted, but thankfully didn't have to peddle across.

The mighty Mekong brings rich soil deposits down to the Delta, so the surrounding land is lush and, if you'll forgive the terrible pun, fruitful.

The area we cycled today is known for its huge Jack fruits.

Don't you just love the shape and line of this? No idea what it is, but knowing the Vietnamese I bet they eat it...

We stop to sample local produce as we go. Tan's favourite is the custard apple, which tastes more like pear to my mind. The bright red ones are mountain apples and at the top a pile of different types of mango.

Everything is transported by boat.

At the floating wholesale market each boat advertises what they have for sale by tying some to a long bambo pole and hoisting it above the boat!

The land shops operate both sides, to cater for land and river customers.

Finally, after 30 km we reached my hotel, Mekong Riverside Boutique Resort and Spa. This is the view as I sip my welcome lemon grass and honey tea; a bit of a perculiar combination.

Pretty table flowers.

India was all about the doors, maybe this Vietnam trip will be ceilings?

See the long poles? Fishing bambo rods. Don't think that's for me...

All the rooms are little houses on stilts over the water lily lake

This is mine, no.5

I love the blossoms on my towels and see the present on my pillow?

Much nicer than a chocolate!

All around the organic gardens are bursting with flowers

and my Monday night swim was just devine!

Woke to a bright warm Cretian November morning and it stayed like that all day. No photographs of breakfast today, but otherwise I can report that the Greek yoghurt drizzled with local honey was just perfect.

Today's walk was a circular walk around the Monastry of Gouverneto

and here I am already on the go. No, that's not a sword I am carrying but one of my walking poles!

One of the unforeseen pleasures of autumnal walking in Crete is watching the landscape come alive again. As in the desert, once the rains start to fall the earth and her treasures wake up from their summer hibernation so there are delightfully miniscual crocus

delicate narcissi,

the fascinating Serpent Head,

and, what I bet turns out to be a Cretian dandelion, but is never the less a brilliant yellow star of the footpath.

Nature has a habit of clinging on to life at every opportunity, even when conditions are tough. So it's a delight to see how little is needed to survive sometimes - even the most barren rock can be called home as long as you have a storehouse to draw upon!

The first twenty minutes or so we're walked in silence so we could settle into the landscape and become aware of nature herself. The familiar buzz of the summertime chicada has been replaced by sweet bird song, thrush and blue tit and as we tread gently we come across this Jack Snipe, doing what it does best, sitting stock still and blending into the terrain in the hope we will walk by,

which we did once we had admired its beauty and grace.

Not everything has an obvious beauty and grace, this 'chicken wire' shrub being a case in point.

Although the star like patterns formed by is low growing plant are beautiful and to the point!

Whilst this is the original 'scratch'n'sniff' - an aromatic thyme which releases its heady scent as we brush by.

Of course, the ancient low growing olive trees have the most amazing bark structures. Even without counting the rings, you just know this is so very old.

Littering the mountain sides are small churches and chapel caves, like this one.

This strange roof is formed by the water seeping through the limestone ceiling to form stalligtites. Countless fires light by those seeking refuge over the centuries have blackened their surface to leave an earie roofscape.

Walking in the late autumnal sunshine is quite delightful, our group stringing out in a long line with Jonathan occasionally nipping up and down the line like a Collie to ensure none of us have strayed.

Poles are helpful and

a little sit down welcome.

A small church dedicated to St. John the hermit was a point of attraction and an occasion for another of Jonathan's welcomed biscuit breaks.

Despite the seeming remoteness of these small chapels they are still consecrated, with occasional services, christenings and even weddings taking place.

The going underfoot was sometimes uneven,

but helpful markers ( this tiny diamond is one of Jonathan's ) lead the way. This one looks as though someone wearing bright red lipstick has planted a kiss on this ancient olive tree!

Once banded by the invading Turks the Cretians buried their bells to keep them safe and now these bells are still used today to call Christians to prayer;

but we didn't stay long here because lunch was ready and waiting further along the way. The Greek airforce even put on an arial display for our entertainment...

Lower down is the Agia Triada Monastry. But it wasn't the ostentatious display of wealth in the chapel that captured my attention, but the humbler structure of the building itself: